The next time you feel jealous of pro baseball players, remember this: They still have to do photo day. In major league camps in Florida and Arizona, that one bit of awkwardness you left behind in grade school remains a rite of spring.

Storm surge associated with Tropical Storm Hermine impacted Florida’s Gulf Coast on Thursday. Hurricane warnings have been issued for parts of the area as Hermine is expected to make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane.More →

Officials, LGBT community members and others across the nation and world have gathered to show solidarity with the victims and survivors of the Orlando nightclub shooting. Omar Mateen opened fire in Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, early Sunday morning, carrying out the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Across the globe, St. Patrick’s Day 2016 was a pageant of revelry, faith and activism. In Dublin, crowds filled the streets for a glimpse of large, colorful floats. In Northern Ireland, pilgrims walked to St. Patrick’s resting place. In New York, former protesters became marchers with an end to a ban on openly gay parade participants.

No matter what the groundhog says, or what the thermometer says back home, the sight of their teams on the practice fields in Florida and Arizona tells baseball fans spring can’t be far, even if only the last couple weeks of spring training are actually in spring. Here’s a glimpse of some of the early action in Major League Baseball camps.

The transgender community has gained a degree of acceptance in recent years with the help of such celebrities as Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox from “Orange is the New Black.” But for those who are less known it can be more of a struggle. Many young transgender people, wrestling with their identities, find themselves shunned by family, friends and co-workers. Episodes of homelessness, alcoholism, drug abuse and violence often follow.

“A lot of people really don’t realize the like immense amount of pain the average trans person goes through just trying to like live their life,” says Eli, a 17-year-old male who was born a girl and lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Eli and other young transgender people in South Florida illustrate the hardship this community faces. They also show its resilience. Here are their stories.

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ABOUT THE DARKROOM

The Darkroom, the photography and video blog of The Baltimore Sun, shines a light on visually captivating stories of our past and present. It showcases the exciting work of our staff, offers tips in the craft, and highlights the emerging community of independent media makers. We want your feedback – please contact us with suggestions and ideas.

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Bob Rhodes: Very interesting read....I have read previously about terrap…